Multiple-key lock.



v N0.`'66,697. .Patented 1an. 29, l90l.

. J. ROCHE. f

MULTIPLE KEY LIIHK'. (Application med Aug. '11, 1900.)

2 sheets-*snaai s..

(No Model.)

No. 666,697. Y Patented 1an.'29,`19o|.

A .1. ROCHE. MULTIPLEKEY LOCK. (Appletiuxx led Aug. 17, 1900.) (No M 6del.) 2 Sheets-Sh66t 2.

JAMES ROCHE, OF TERRYVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE EAGLE LOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MULTIPLE-KEY LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 666.697, dated January 29, 1901,.

Application iiled August 17| 1900. Serial No. 27,171. (No model.)

To MZ whom, it petty Vcrm/certa:

Be it known that I, JAMES ROCHE, of Terryville, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut,have invented a new Improvement in Multiple-Key Locks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the sa'me, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-' Figure l, a perspective view of a lock constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a reverse perspective View thereof; Fig. 3, a view of the lock with the cover removed, showing the parts in their locked positions; Fig. 4, a corresponding view showing the parts of the lock in the positions due to them after the guard-key has been operated to throw down the pivotal dog and so unlock the main bolt at the heel thereof; Fig. 5, a corresponding view showing the parts of the lock in their unlocked positions; Fig. 6, a view of the lock with the cover removed, as well as all of the contained parts except the bolt and pivotal dog; Fig. 7, a view ofthe lock in longitudinal section,taken centrally through the adjusting-eccentric; Fig. 8, a detached plan View of one of the two-part tumblers with the supplemental part thereof in its locked position; Fig. 9, a corresponding view with the supplemental part in its unlocked position; Fig. l0, a detached plan view of the main part of one of the tumblers; Fig. ll, a corresponding view o`t' the supplemental part of one of the tumblers; Fig. l2, a detached plan view of the secondary bolt; Fig. 13, a view of the guard-key; Fig. 14, a View of a depositors key; Fig. l5, a view of another depositors key to which the lock may be set.

My invention relates to an improvement in multiple-key locks, the object being to produce a simple, compact, and convenient lock adapted to be reset to a very considerable range of different keys'without removing it from place. My improved lock is particularly adapted to be used as a sate-deposit lock, but is not limited to such use.

With these ends in view myinvention consists in a multiple-key lock having a two-part lever-tumbler comprising a main part and a supplemental part and constructed t-o permit them to be set in a variety of positions with respect. to each other.

My invention further consists in a multiplekey lock having a plurality of two-part levertumblers, each of which is adapted to have its supplemental part adjusted with respect to its main part and an adjusting-eccentric coacting with all of the tumblers, whereby they maybe unlocked and reset and relocked in new relations to each other.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown, I employ a plurality of two-part locking-lever tumblers, each consisting of a main part 2 and a supplemental part 3, the main part of each tumbler being centrally cut away to form a deep large notch el, in which the supplemental part 3 is mainly'located. The forward wall of vthe said notch 4L is formed with serrations 5, which are engaged with and interlocked by corresponding serrations 6, formed upon the outer end of the supplemental part 3, which is provided with a keysweep 7. The rear or inner end of the main part 2 of each tumbler is cut away and reduced to half the thickness of the rest of the part and formed witha circular hole 8, which receives the arbor-like adjusting-eccentric 9, which passes through all of the tumblers, and by means of which the two members of the respective tumbler-s are moved with respect to each other and unlocked and then after readjustment again moved with respect to each other and locked and rigidly held in their locked positions, all without the removal of the tumblers from the lock. The rear or inner end of each of the supplemental parts 3 of each tumbler is also reduced in thickness to about half of the thickness of the remaining portion of the. part and formed with an elongated clearance opening l0, through which the said eccentric also passes, but which does not act upon the supplemental part on account of the elongated form of this opening. The supplemental parts 3 of all of the tumblers are held against possible end- Y wise movement under the action of the adjusting-eccentric by means of a retaining-pin 11, which passes through a vertically-elongated slot 12, formed in the supplemental part of each of the tumblers. The main part 2 of each of the tumb'lers is formed with a stump-slot 13 for the reception of the stump 14, located near the outer end of the main bolt 15, which itself rests upon the bottom of the case 16 of the lock. The supplemental part 3 of each tumbler is formed with a stumpslot 17, opening out of the rear wall of a transversely-arran ged stu m p-opening 16, receiving a stump 19, carried by the secondary or auX- iliary bolt 20. The supplemental part 3 of each tumbler is provided with a tumblerspring 21, while the secondary bolt 2O is furnished with a spring 22. The main bolt 15 is formed with a short guide-pin 23, Fig. 6, entering a guide-slot 24, formed in the secondary bolt, Fig. 12. The said main bolt is also formed with a clearance-slot 25 for the retaining-pin 11 and with a clearance-slot 26 for the adjustingeccentric 9. It is also formed with a key-sweep 27 and with a locking-notch 2S, formed in its heel for the reception of the nose of a pivotal dog 29, turning upon a pivot 30, located in the bottom of the case, and thrown into its locked position by a spring 31. This dog is thrown into its unlooked position by means of a pin 32, carried by it and arranged to be engaged by an operating-bevel 33, formed upon the secondary bolt 20, which is formed with a clearance-slot 34 for the pin 11, with a clearance-slot 35 for the adjusting-eccentric 9, with a key-sweep 36, with a stump-notch 37 for the reception of the stump 14 of the main bolt 15, and with a foot or guide 38. I particularly wish to call attention to the fact that each tumbler as a tumbler is separable between its mainbolt stump-slot and its key-sweep.

It will be understood that the main bolt 15 is slid back and forth directly upon the bottom of the lock-case 16 and that the secondary bolt` 20 is adapted to slide back and forth directly upon the said main bolt, While the two-part locking-tumblers are superimposed one upon the other, the lower tumbler of the series resting upon the upper face of the secondary bolt, as shown in Fig. 7. The lockcase 16 is provided with the usual cover 39, which is furnished with a sleeve 40, inclosing a key-hub 41 of usual construction.

The adjusting-eccentric 9 extends through the bottom of the lock-case and its projecting end is furnished with a knurled finger-button 9a and a yielding stop-finger 42, carrying alocking-pin 43, which snaps into a shallow pocket'43, formed to receive it in the lockcase. Two stop-pins 44 and 45, mounted in the case, provide against turning the adjusting-eccentric 9 too far in either direction, the linger 42being brought up against the said pins 44 and 45 at the limit of the turning movement of the eccentric.

In using the lock the guard-key 45 is inserted into the lock and engaged with the key-sweeps 7 of the su pplemental parts 3 of all of the locking-tulnblers, with the effect of lifting the tumblers, so as to bring the stumpslots 17 of the supplemental parts 3 of all of the tumblers into alinement with the stump 36 upon the secondary bolt 20, the key-sweep 19 of which is engaged and the tumbler moved from left to right, with the effect of bringing the bevel into engagement with the pin 32 of the pivotal dog, which is forced downward against the tension of its spring 31 and away from the heel-notch 2S in the main bolt 15, the heel of which is now unlocked. At the termination of the described action of the guard-key it will have the position in which it is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The guard-key is now removed from the lock and the depositors key 46 inserted thereinto,with the effect of engaging the key-sweeps 7 of the supplemental parts 3 of all of the lockingtumblers, which are now lifted, so as to bringr all of their stump-slots 13 into line with the stump 14 of the main bolt 15, which as the key is turned is shot back into its unlocked position, at which time the stump 14 enters the stump-slots 13. As the main bolt 15' is shot back into its unlocked position the tail 29 of the dog 29 is engaged by the bevel 29b of the bolt, whereby the dog is swung back again into position for automatic rengagement with the heel of the bolt when the same is shot back into its locked position during the removal of the depositors key 46 from the lock.

The above description illustrates the ordinary use of the lock. It now it is desired to set the lock to a new depositors key, such as the key 47, the old depositors key 46 is first introduced into the lock and turned, so that the two-part tumblers will be lifted for bringing the stump-slots 13 into alinement with the bolt-stu mp 14, which is thereby permitted to j ust enter the stump-slots 13, further movement of the main bolt 15 being prevented by the blocking action of the locking-dog 29, which has not been thrown down out of engagement with the heel of the main bolt 15 by the secondary bolt 2O under the action of the guard-key. While the old depositors key is in this position, the knurled fingerbutton 9ais grasped and the adjusting-eccentric 9 rotated until the stop inger 42 is brought into the position shown by broken lines, Fig. 2, in which it is stopped by the stop-pin 44. This rotation of the adjustingeccentric Will cause the temporary unlocking of the main and supplemental parts of each tumbler, as shown in Fig. 9, their serrations 5 and 6 being entirely separated from each other. The old key 46 is now removed and the new depositors key 47 inserted into the lock and turned to lift the supplemental part 3 of all of the locking-tumblers to correspond to the bittings of the key. This result having been eected, the knurled button 9a is grasped and the adjusting-eccentric turned through a half-rotation or until its stop-fin- IOO IZO

ger 42 is engaged with the stop-pin 45, whereby the main and supplemental parts 2 and 3 of each tumbler will be firmly relocked again. The lock is now operated, as before, with the guard-key and the key 4:7, the key 16 being now useless in connection with the lock.

It will thus be seen that a lock constructed in accordance with myinvention may be very readily reset to a number of different keys without any change in the intrinsic construction of the lock.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invent-ion I may make some changes from the construction herein shown and described, and I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to such construction, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention. I am aware, however, that a multiple-key lock having a twopart tumbler consisting of a lever and a wheel geared together is old. I do not, therefore, broadly claim a multiple-key lock having a twopart tumbler. I am also aware that a two part tumbler the respective parts ot' which are adapted to be unlocked and moved in the arc of a circle independently of each other and then relocked to move together in the arc of a circle is old, and I do not claim that construction broadly.

Having fully described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A two-part lever-tu mbler for a multiplekey lock, the said tumbler consisting of a pivoted main part and a pivoted supplemental part, and the said parts being adapted to be rigidly locked together in different relations to each other.

2. A twopart lever-tumbler for a multiplekey look, the said tumbler consisting of a pivoted main part and a pivoted supplemental part, and the said parts being adapted to be rigidly locked together in different relations to each other, the main part having a large notch, and the supplemental part entering the same.

3. A two-part lever-tumbler for a multiplekey lock, each part of the tumbler being pivoted and formed with serrations adapting them to be unlocked from each other and relocked to each other in a variety of different relations for coaction with keys of different bittings.

4. A two-part leve r-tumbler for a multiplekey lock, the said tumbler comprising a pivoted main part formed with a stump-slot and a pivoted supplemental part formed with a stump-slot, and the two parts being adapted to be rigidly locked together in different relations for coaction with keys of diierent bittings.

5. A two-part lever-tumbler for a multiplekey lock, comprising a pivoted main part having a bolt-stump slot, and a pivoted supplemental part having a key-sweep, whereby the two parts of the tumbler are separable between the said slot and key-sweep.

6. In a multiple-key lock, the combination with a plurality of two-part tumblers, the parts of which are pivoted and adapted to be locked together in a variety of diierent relations for coaction with keys of different bittings, and means coacting with all of the two-part tumblers for simultaneously moving one part of each tumbler with respect to the other part thereof, so as to unlock the two parts of each tumbler, and then restoring the parts of each tumbler to their locked positions after one part of each tumbler has been set to a key.

7. In a multiple-key lock, the combination with a plurality of two-part tu mblers,the parts of which are separable, and capable of being reset and relocked 'in different relations for coaction with keys of different bittings, of an adj Listing-eccentric passing through all of the tumblers for simultaneously separating their parts to permit them to be reset and simultaneously restoring their parts to locked positions, and means located upon the outside of the lock and connected with the said eccentric for operating the same, as required.

8. In amultple-key lock, the combination lwith the case thereof, of a main bolt, a pivotal dog coacting with the heel of the said main bolt., a secondary bolt coacting with the said pivotal dog for disengaging the same from the heel of the main bolt, a plurality of two-part tumblers, the parts of which are separable for being reset in new relations, and means applied to all of the said two-part tumblers for simultaneously separating and simulta neously reuniting the respective parts of the tumblers, for coaction with keys of different bittings.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES ROCHE. Witnesses:

R. J. PLUMB, OTIs B. HoUGH. 

